The figures are scattered, and everything in this world will be fleeting. I would like to ask, how much impression does anyone have of people and things from a hundred years ago? Putting aside historical materials, those yellowed black and white photos have become witnesses of history. As the saying goes, "Thinking about the past, competing for prosperity, sighing at the buildings outside the door, sorrow and hatred continue. For thousands of years, I have been proud of this, and I have lamented the honor and disgrace." Maybe, inadvertently, you will find something from it...
A strange scene at the funeral of Cixi . On the avenue of the capital, mourners continued to surge, and the lifelike paper bundles were particularly eye-catching. This was a photo taken by Henri Borrell, a Dutch journalist at the time. These life-size paper figures look eerily eerie in broad daylight. The Yin soldiers clear the way, and the smiling paper figures make people frightened.
Cixi was the last ruler of the late Qing Dynasty. In the winter of 1908, after Emperor Guangxu died of illness, Cixi followed him. But her funeral was held a year later because her mausoleum was not yet completed. Even though the Yin soldiers guarded it, Cixi's tomb still failed to protect Sun Dianying . In just twenty years, the body of "Lafayette" was dragged out of the coffin, and all the treasures buried with him were looted.
The most unbearable thing in modern China was the opium invasion. The two Opium Wars made the Qing Dynasty in turmoil, the treasury was empty, and the people were struggling to survive. In order to solve the financial crisis, the imperial court actually encouraged the cultivation of tobacco.
Contamination with heavy smoke can cause a catastrophe to the country and the people. Historical data records that for drug addicts, "when addicted, they burst into tears, and their limbs were too tired to lift. Even if a white blade was thrust in front, and a leopard and tiger were behind them, they could only You can't move even if you bow your head and die." As in the photo, the young man can no longer get out of bed and is lazy even if his family is bare.
The foreigners used strong ships and cannons to open the country of and the Qing , and those foreigners followed. Some are doing business, some are curious, and some are even spying on intelligence. So many foreigners can be seen in those photos in the late Qing Dynasty, and they hired local people as servants.
A servant pushed four children in a wheelbarrow. They were all children who came to China with their parents, and their leather shoes were all shiny. On the other hand, the servants still wear straw sandals.
Prisoners locked in station cage. The standing cage is also called the vertical cannon, which is an extended version of the wooden cannon. The top of the wooden cage is the shackles. The person is inside, his head is stuck, and his feet are supported by wooden boards. If they were paraded through the streets in the summer, the prisoners would die of dehydration within a few hours. If the board is removed, the person will suffocate.
The personal bodyguard of a certain naval admiral, holding a sword and spear, he looked very energetic. They have these "water advance soldiers" on their chests. In an era when hot weapon is popular, can they protect their adults with their clothes?
Full body photos of three brothel girls, with bangs and small feet as standard features. At that time, footbinding was becoming more and more popular, and women who made a living in brothels were also wrapped in exquisite three-inch golden lotus . In an era when men were superior to women, binding feet was more pleasing to customers.
Camel caravans come and go on Marco Polo Bridge , and most business travelers to the capital enter from here. The sound of camel bells was heard both inside and outside the city. Even the emperor who paid homage to the imperial mausoleum or visited the south would pass by this bridge.
The Shuntian Gongyuan was overgrown with weeds. This was the place where the Qing Dynasty was hungry for talents. Only the city gate building was left, and the examination sheds could be seen completely demolished. In its heyday, there were 16,000 of them, but now they are all abandoned. When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, this place was occupied by the German army and almost completely demolished. In 1905, the imperial examination system, which had lasted for more than 1,300 years, was withdrawn from the stage of history.
The cold and windy river was crowded with ice pickers. During the Qing Dynasty, Beijing's ice harvesting activities were monopolized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Industry. Unless there was surplus, ordinary people could buy ice cubes in the hot summer. At that time, most of the ice harvesting locations were in the Beihai, Moat, Shichahai, etc. It was a cold day, and the ice pickers worked very hard from early to late.
The majestic city walls of the capital embody the wisdom and courage of the ancients. A dirt road stretched under the city wall, and carriages passed through it in the dust. There was a moat on one side, and there was no grass on the bank.
A group photo of Italian soldiers and Qing soldiers during the Gengzi Incident . The height of a Westerner is nowhere to be seen in this photo. On the other hand, the two Qing soldiers were tall and burly, significantly taller than him.
In 1902, on the Ming Tombs Shinto in Beijing, a young man made a living by herding pigs in front of the stone statues. We can see that the pigs are so thin that their hairs stand on end. At that time, pigs were not fed as much as they are now, and they would be slaughtered within a few months. They would not feed less than 100 kilograms in a year or two. It is estimated that this young man is also a long-term employee of the landlord's family. Most people don't have enough to eat, so how many pigs are they feeding?
